1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flash device suitable for bounced light photography using a photographic apparatus such as a digital still camera or an ordinary camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bounced light photography is usually performed when pictures are taken indoors using the photographic apparatus such as a digital still camera and an ordinary camera. In bounced light photography, a photographic subject is indirectly irradiated with flashlight reflected from a ceiling by irradiating a ceiling with flashlight while directing the flash device at the ceiling. With such a technique, inartificial pictures having a clear outline without a shadow can be obtained.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-181438 (paragraph No. [0033]) discloses an example of a flash device having a flashlight-irradiating unit 2 on an upper part of a flash device main body 1, such that the flashlight-irradiating unit 2 can turn in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, when the flash device is used in bounced light photography using the photographic apparatus such as a digital still camera or an ordinary camera.
As illustrated in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-181438, in performing bounced light photography, a flash device having a flashlight-irradiating unit 2 on the upper part of a flash device main body 1 can be mounted on an accessory shoe provided on an upper part of the photographic apparatus, such as a digital still camera and an ordinary camera, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, such that the flashlight-irradiating unit 2 can turn in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction. In performing bounced light photography, the photographic apparatus 3 is located with the horizontal direction to obtain a horizontally wide screen or in the vertical direction to obtain a vertically long screen, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, and then a ceiling is irradiated with flashlight by directing the flashlight-irradiating unit 2 of the flash device at the ceiling.
However, as illustrated in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-181438, in a case where the flashlight-irradiating unit 2 is mounted on the upper part of the flash device main body 1 such that flashlight-irradiating unit 2 can turn in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, the flashlight-irradiating unit 2 is located with the horizontal direction, as shown in FIG. 1A, when bounced light photography is performed using the photographic apparatus 3 in the horizontal position. Further, the flashlight-irradiating unit 2 is located with the vertical direction, as shown in FIG. 1B, when bounced light photography is performed using the photographic apparatus 3 in the vertical position. Furthermore, when bounced light photography is performed using a photographic apparatus such as a digital still camera or an ordinary camera in the horizontal position and in the vertical position, irradiating conditions of the flashlight may vary with the conditions where photographic subjects are photographed. If the flashlight-irradiating unit 2 is once located with the horizontal position as shown in FIG. 1A and is caused to turn in a horizontal direction thereafter, a photographer may have to carry out a laborious procedure before actually photographing the photographic subjects and may not be able to concentrate on photographing.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the photographer can concentrate on photographing since the irradiating conditions of the flashlight can remain constant and an irradiation direction can be set easily when the bounced light photography is performed using the photographic apparatus, such as a digital still camera or an ordinary camera, in the horizontal position and the vertical position.